Bernzomatic torches made in Chilton show up everywhere from cooking shows to camping and almost certainly your plumber has used one.
The torches, fueled by propane and propylene fuel in cylinders also manufactured in Chilton, reach 40 countries.
“It’s remarkable how much our torches get used and where our products actually reach,” says Worthington’s General Manager for Consumer Products Todd Whited. He says he has spotted them on TV cooking shows and while tailgating at sports events beyond their widespread use in trades.
Worthington, based in Ohio, purchased the Chilton operation in 2004. At the time it was manufacturing the fuel cylinders for handheld torches and consumer products such as camp stoves. Bernzomatic was acquired by Worthington in 2011, and in 2014 the two operations were brought together in Chilton.
But Whited says Bernzomatic has 150 years of history. It was founded by toolmaker Otto Bernz in 1876 and began making handheld torches in the early 1900s. The first torches that would be recognizable to today’s consumers showed up in the 1950s, about the time that the plant in Chilton began producing fuel cylinders.
“We know that our customers expect immediate ignition, a stable flame and really dependable performance. But what we really bring is safety. It’s even more heightened of a need because it is a fuel‑flame product. That trust and quality is not really built overnight. That’s where our heritage comes in. It comes from generations and generations of engineering and manufacturing disciplines that we have in the Chilton facility,” Whited says.
Whited says products like the Bernzomatic DuraCast 8000 Torch and DuraCast 4000 Torch are the leading brands in the market for professionals and do-it-yourself-ers.
“It’s really the brand that parents have handed down and taught their sons and daughters how to use, and tradespeople have taught their apprentices how to use, and it’s still the brand the people reach for today,” he says.
The wide range of uses is highlighted on the company’s website, where there are videos featuring a chef, artists, plumbers, and backyard grillers. They offer advice, reviews and even recipes — all featuring the torches and cylinders manufactured in Chilton.
Worthington Enterprises, which is the only U.S. manufacturer of hand torches and small format propane and propylene cylinders, expects to complete a 58,000‑square‑foot addition to its 365,000‑square‑foot plant in Chilton later this year.
“This is an investment in our U.S. manufacturing and into Chilton as a community and our employees and the future of the brand. It’s what leading brands do,” Whited says. “We’re going to invest and that investment reflects on the commitment to the future of the brand and to the customers who use our products every day.”
On the web: worthingtonenterprises.com
